EV Fire: NITI Aayog chief Amitabh Kant asks manufacturers to recall

NITI Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant on April 13 said the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) should voluntarily recall the batches of electric vehicles involved in the recent fire accidents. Similar measures taken by firms such as BMW and Volvo had resulted in creating a sense of confidence among consumers, the chief of the government’s think tank told CNBC-TV18.

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In a latest incident, around 40 EVs of Nashik-based Jitendra Electric Vehicles caught fire on Monday. This is the sixth incident in the row where e-scooters have caught fire and it raised concern about safety.

Kant insisted that batteries needed special attention as they are “complex in terms of manufacturing and maintenance”. "Manufacturing of cells isn't regulated... Battery management system needs to be strengthened. There has been a clear partnership between battery manufacturing and battery management," he said.

All lithium-ion cells are imported in India as of now.

According to the FADA report, EV sales in India witnessed a three-fold jump last fiscal with two-wheelers leading the segment. In FY 2021-22, the EV registered 429,417 unit sales as compared to 134,821 EV unit sales in the fiscal year 2020-21, FADA said.